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He lifted a hand and tugged gently at the tinsel in her greying hair. ‘Is that a new look?’
‘It’s my Christmas look,’ she said primly, lifting a hand to protect the tinsel, ‘and I don’t welcome any of your usual sarcastic comments. You’re lucky I’m even trying to look festive, given what’s going on in this place at the moment.’
‘Me? Sarcastic?’ Jake went through to his office and frowned at the pile of papers on his desk. He’d only had one day off, for goodness’ sake. How could so much paperwork have accumulated so quickly? ‘So—how’s our Lucy?’
‘Scared,’ Ruth said frankly, handing him a fat set of notes. ‘You know what happened last time, although not here, of course, thank goodness. The baby was stillborn and she was utterly devastated. She’s afraid the same thing is going to happen.’
Jake lifted his gaze to hers. ‘We’re not going to let that happen. I probably ought to warn you now that if her waters have broken then my threshold for inducing her is very low.’
‘Usually you do expectant management.’
‘Usually women don’t have Lucy’s history. She’ll probably go into labour on her own anyway, but we’ll keep a close eye on her. Just as a matter of interest, what’s the bed state on SCBU?’
‘They’ve got room,’ Ruth said immediately. ‘I checked earlier because I knew you’d ask me that question.’
‘I’m that predictable?’
‘You’re that thorough.’ Ruth’s gaze softened. ‘It’s why you’re such a brilliant obstetrician, Jake. You treat every woman as an individual case, regardless of protocol. And you don’t miss anything.’
‘Let’s hope not. How’s your staffing situation?’ He knew that the whole hospital had been affected by the flu bug that was going around, and Obstetrics was no exception.
‘It’s been better but I’ve got a lovely bank nurse working today. Sweet girl. Smiley and calm. She’s going to be with us for a while, hopefully. At least over the holiday period.’
‘Good. Jake nodded. ‘Lucy needs someone calm.’
‘You know that Lucy wants to have a vaginal delivery…’
Jake sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. ‘Yes, I know she does. Obviously it’s what we all want. It’s the way babies are supposed to be born.’
Ruth grinned at him. ‘For an obstetrician, you’re a revelation, do you know that?’
‘I can’t understand why you think I gain any enjoyment from increasing my workload,’ Jake drawled, and she gave a little shrug.
‘All I’m saying is that it’s lovely to work with a senior doctor who is on the same wavelength. And Lucy feels it, too. Just knowing you were coming in calmed her down,’ Ruth told him. ‘She trusts you.’
Jake gave a wry smile. ‘No pressure, then.’
‘Your job is one long pressure,’ Ruth replied as they walked down the corridor. ‘I’ve put her in Suite 1 because it’s more homely and I think she’ll find it less stressful than some of the other rooms. She’s not bleeding but she’s had some funny pains off and on. They’ve got a bed on the ward if you want to keep her in.’
‘Husband with her?’
Ruth nodded. ‘Of course. And he’s more anxious than she is.’
‘Not surprisingly.’
Ruth paused outside the door. ‘How was Christmas, by the way?’
For a moment Jake had a vision of a beautiful, mysterious woman with clouds of dark hair and a soft, tempting mouth that tasted as sweet as it looked. ‘Christmas was interesting.’
Ruth raised an eyebrow. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that it was interesting.’ Not wanting to elaborate, Jake pushed open the door of the labour suite and stopped dead. Miranda was sitting on the bed, talking to Lucy.
His Miranda.
He blinked and checked that he wasn’t hallucinating. Same ebony hair, same pale skin and soft pink mouth.
The mouth that he’d kissed and explored in sensual detail the night before.
